SR 21 corridor improvements await action and funding

A consultant has presented his company’s recommendation to local officials to reduce congestion and improve safety along busy State Route 21.

The corridor is a 10-mile major route for commerce and commuter traffic from the Effingham County line south through Port Wentworth and Garden City, on to Interstate 516 in downtown Savannah. Improvements have been studied for three years as traffic is projected to continue growing.

But finding funding for any improvements, as for so many other local transportation projects, will pose another challenge for the project.

On Wednesday, Jeff Netzinger, an engineering consultant with Hussey, Gay, Bell & DeYoung, presented the firm’s preferred set of improvements out of three alternatives to the Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization board.

The so-called No. 10 alternative would widen the northernmost section from Effingham County to State Route 30 and a portion near I-516.

It would also install four roughly 30-foot high elevated lanes with shoulders — similar to those proposed on south Abercorn Street — around the I-95 intersection and through Garden City. Plus, it would include express lanes on the proposed Jimmy DeLoach Parkway extension in the central section of the corridor.

Of the other two alternatives, one uses elevated lanes more extensively and the other would add a separate roadway to the Jimmy DeLoach Parkway extension and create a new highway through Garden City and rebuild I-16 at the I-516 interchange.

While the consultant has made his recommendation, the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission has not given the board its final proposal.

The last public meeting, at which the proposals were presented, was held on Aug. 15 on the Georgia Tech Savannah campus.

The No. 10 alternative was selected because it would provide the best congestion relief, safety improvements, redevelopment opportunity along the corridor and costs less than the other alternatives, according to study findings.

The projected cost, including construction, is $420 million, 18.6 percent less than the next lowest alternative.

Funding has not yet been identified, said Mark Wilkes, CORE MPO director of transportation.

“Strong support at the local, state and federal levels could help. Under the most optimistic scenario, construction is probably at least 10 years off.”

SR 21 is a major corridor between Effingham County and Savannah to the Port of Savannah. It also intersects with railroad crossings and school zones, and serves as a hurricane evacuation route.

However, commuter and commercial vehicles have created heavy congestion at peak hours, creating safety problems.

In 2035, the average daily traffic time from Effingham County to downtown Savannah is projected to be 81 minutes.

The No. 10 alternative is projected to cut that time to 27 minutes, about the same as the other two alternatives.

It would also reduce vehicle conflicts with railroad crossings by 30 percent and cut school zone traffic volume by 54 percent in 2035, more than the other alternatives, according to the study.

The corridor study was funded with federal stimulus money.

Wednesday’s meeting was mainly for informational purposes. While the CORE MPO board did approve 9-0 adoption of the fiscal year 2014-2017 Transportation Improvement Program, it took no action in selecting a preferred plan for SR 21.

“This is a long-range project, and I don’t think we have a recommendation at this point in terms of a recommended alternative,” Tom Thomson, MPC executive director, told the board.

“We’re not sure what the next steps are. We’ll have to go back and discuss that.”